1. Field of the Art
The present relates generally to an apparatus and method for cleaning beaches and other sandy areas, and more particularly, to a beach cleaning method and apparatus which includes a unique chain combination to improve the cleaning efficiency and an improved structure for emptying the collection box.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A significant problem at beach resorts and other beach areas, both public and private, involves the maintenance and cleaning of the beach on a regular (usually daily) basis. After a day of heavy use, a popular beach is often littered with a beer and pop cans, bottles, wrappers and other debris. Unless such beaches are cleaned and groomed on a regular basis, the frequency of their use soon diminishes.
In many areas, beaches and beach areas are cleaned manually by hired workers physically picking up the debris and then raking the sand. This is time consuming and quite expensive. Further, in some areas, such help is simply not available. This has led to the development of various pieces of beach cleaning equipment for cleaning beaches. In general, many of these prior devices have used a hay rake type concept with spring teeth and a hopper or a single conveyor belt or chain for conveying the debris from the sand to a collection bin or the like. While these prior machines are satisfactory in many respects, there is a need for an improved beach cleaning method and apparatus which is easy to operate, is fast, has low maintenance and is cost competitive.